Shrimp-and-Melon Salad

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  olive oil
• 5  tablespoons  fresh lime juice
• 3  tablespoons  chopped fresh mint
• 2  tablespoons  honey
• 2  teaspoons  rice vinegar
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1  shallot, minced
• 1/3  cup  chopped dry-roasted shelled pistachios
• 1  pound  cooked medium shrimp
• 1  large English cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 2  cups  1/2-inch cubed watermelon
• 2  cups  1/2-inch cubed honeydew melon
• 2  cups  1/2-inch cubed cantaloupe
• 1/2  cup  vertically sliced red onion
• 1  head Bibb lettuce, torn

Preparation

Whisk together first 7 ingredients in a small bowl to make a vinaigrette. Stir in pistachios, and set aside. Combine shrimp and next 5 ingredients. Add vinaigrette, tossing to coat. Serve salad in lettuce-lined serving bowls.

Wine note: "This recipe has quite a combo of saltiness and sweetness--the melon gets sweeter when combined with salt. This would be great in summertime on the patio or by the pool. A little tricky here, but I would pair it with another one of Wine Spectator's 2004 Top 100--Kim Crawford's Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2004 ($17). It is razor-sharp with hints of lime, passion fruit, guava, and grapefruit." --Rosalind Johnson, Divas Uncorked, Massachusetts